


What Goes On Inside

by wings_g_leviosa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Hogwarts AU, M/M, Mentions of Death, Minor Character Death, all the adults are horrible, i dont like it either but its part of the story, im sorry about the grundy and archie thing, wizardry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-11 22:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10475937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wings_g_leviosa/pseuds/wings_g_leviosa
Summary: The students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry have developed a sort of routine over the years.This is what happens when that routine is broken, just as the surface of the Black Lake broke to reveal Jason Blossom's body floating beneath the surface.





	1. Routine, Interrupted

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the first fanfic I've ever published, and I hope you all really like it. Please leave some comments on what you think!

The students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had developed a sort of routine over the several years they’d each been going to the school. Nobody had ever had any reason to stray from the groove worn down into their lives; they’d often had the same friend groups much of that time, had many of the same teachers, many of the same classes. Rivalries had solidified, relationships came and went in a way that most things do. 

That’s how things usually went.

Usually.

This year, however had shifted in a way that left some students feeling a sense of disorient, others disgrace, others obliviousness. Because that summer had been different, and the train ride gave confirmation to the two main whispers that had caused it to be so.

A new student was coming to Hogwarts. Not a first year. A girl was going to start attending Hogwarts in her sixth year, which was practically unheard of.

Jason Blossom was not on the train sitting alongside his sister Cheryl like he had every year before. Because Jason Blossom had died in an accident only a few weeks prior, and it was an accident so shrouded in mystery that nobody knew quite what to think.

Well, nobody except one student. 

Jughead Jones had spent much of the days since his hearing of Jason’s death preparing for and completely blocking out all stimulus except for his self proclaimed, self made, very own In Cold Blood. Because what better way to spend one’s time than by writing about the death of a student who was well liked, while simultaneously violently ignoring the fact that he himself was no longer liked by anyone. 

You see, Jughead Jones had never before sat in a compartment to himself on the ride to Hogwarts. From his very first journey to the school as a wide eyed first year, he had been accompanied by his oldest friend, Archie Andrews, as well as Archie’s other friend, Betty Cooper. But, as mentioned previously, the summer beforehand had caused ripples in everyone’s lives. 

Jughead had decided that he would never again sit on the train with Archie, and by extension Betty, as long as he would go to Hogwarts. Because Archie didn’t have the slightest consideration for anyone’s lives other than his own. Because Jughead was packed and ready to spend the last few weeks of summer, starting from the 4th of July, on a roadtrip across the British countryside with Archie. And Archie cancelled. At the last minute. Inconsiderably. For no reason at all. 

And so, Jughead was forced to find somewhere not his father’s house to stay till the start of the school year. And so, for a large chunk of the summer, he moved around the small town where he and his former best friend had lived all their lives, both boys avoiding each other.  
And then, subsequently, Jughead was blessed with the knowledge of the death of a classmate, and he put everything else in his life aside to prepare his chronicle of the reactions of other students to tragedy. 

Also, it was a reason to ignore Archie. Because all teenagers are capable of being petty to some extent.

So, alone he sat, scribbling furiously in the thick notebook he’d brought along (he would have prefered to use his laptop, but it sat hidden in his room at his father’s house because of course technology didn’t work at school) when it happened. A girl that nobody on the train had ever seen before, but obviously not a first year. She strolled past, heels clicking gently (Clicking? The train was carpeted, how was that even possible?) against the floor of the train. Her makeup was impeccable, and she had the holier-than-thou, can-literally-walk-on-water air of someone who had come from money. Jughead paused writing for a short moment to observe this miracle, then continued again to document the sight he’d just witnessed. 

Somebody else, on the complete other side of the train car, however, had much bigger fish to fry than the mysterious new girl making her way closer and closer. 

Betty Cooper was a simple girl, to be short and to the point. She was already wearing her uniform, skirt pressed into unmovable pleats and collar starched. A shiny prefect pin sat proudly on the corner of her lapel, winking in the light. Her blond hair was pulled back in it’s customary ponytail, not a single hair out of place. She appeared to be calm and collected, a perfect image of the smart, mature, thoughtful Ravenclaw that everyone perceived her as. And to an extent, she was.

But the truth was, Betty Cooper, in that moment, was freaking the fuck out. There had hardly been a moment the entire summer that she wasn’t freaking the fuck out. 

Between the internships and her mother, to her sister being sent to the mental illness ward of St. Mungo's, that would give anyone cause to be a little stressed out. But add to the fact that here, in this train car, Betty Cooper was going to change her life for better or for worse. Hopefully for the better, because she was going to finally make the final push into her and Archie becoming a real life couple.

But an entire summer of in depth planning and work could not be enough to help her through the next few minutes of her journey. 

Archie Andrews, who was sitting across from Betty and observing her nervous twitching and fiddling of her fingers, just could not stop sneezing.

Although Betty was dressed perfectly and had everything about her facade in place, there was one thing she just could never seem to control. Betty Cooper’s cat was known to shed anytime someone made to pick her up, and subsequently, every item of clothing had cat hair clinging to the fabric. This made to be an issue for Archie, he being allergic to cats, and his best friend always having a part of her cat attached to her. 

So, the pair sat, Archie sneezing, Betty slowly ripping at the seams once she realized her mistake. 

“So, how was your summer?” she asked, trying to seem like a normal human being.

“Oh, you know, just w- *achoo*- working for my dad. How about you?”

“It was okay. I had my internships, which were pretty great. My mom’s been a bit on edge-” She pauses, almost mentioning Polly, but catches herself. “It’s fine though.”

They chat a little more. Archie brings up how he’s started writing songs, Betty nodding along, waiting for him to shut up so she can get this confession business out of the way, and react accordingly, then react unaccordingly late, in private.

“So, Archie,” she finally interjects, pulling her ponytail tight enough so the hair follicles scream in pain. “I’ve done a lot of thinking this summer. Thinking about us. And… I think it’s time we…”

And then Archie is looking at the compartment door, all thoughts of Betty gone. She slumps in her seat, watching as the infamous new girl finally makes her appearance. Pearls adorn her throat, and a fancy cape/coat fusion is draped over her shoulders. The aforementioned heels were fashionable, and the look on her face was something fierce.

Oh no, Betty thought as she made a clever and sharp comment about walking around the train in heels. 

Oh no, she thought when Archie responded with his (stupidly) adorable laugh.

God why? She nearly screamed when she sat down and began trying to make conversation with Betty. 

“My name is Veronica Lodge, by the way,” she said brightly, a flicker of a lilting accent slipping into her tone. Was it French? Betty forced herself not to care. 

She could only stand a few more minutes of watching her best friend (Could-be-boyfriend?) and this stranger exchange sharp back and forth and resisting their attempts to bring her into the conversation before she stood and announced a little too loud that she needed to go to the prefect’s compartment.  
And so, that’s how Betty Cooper (mind fraying at the edges, refusing to cry, sort-of crying anyway, covered in cat hair) ended up leaning on Kevin Keller in the prefect’s compartment. He just patted her on the head, made an off-hand comment about how horrible boys are (this confused the other prefects, as Kevin was a boy himself) and muttered a spell under his breath that made her eyes a little less red. 

Veronica Lodge, however, was confused. She would be confused about a lot of things during her time at Hogwarts; family, friends, why exactly some rivalries existed, and sexuality, to name a few. And it all started in this train compartment. 

“Is she okay? Your friend, I mean.” 

“Betty? Yeah, she’s fine, just a little high strung. But she’s always been that way.” Veronica hardly believed that for a second, and therefore remains confused. 

“I can relate, I guess.”

“You’re new, aren’t you? That really doesn’t ever happen at Hogwarts.”

“Yeah, I’m new. I transferred here from Beauxbatons, in France.” Of course, she didn’t say why she moved. It wouldn’t have surprised her at all if she found out that news got around saying her father was an embezzler, which he was (the first part was also true, she would later discover). But she also didn’t want to be like the girl that she had been before, which was to say, a total bitch. So, she’ll just tell them about France. France makes you seem cool and above it all, when she was really in deeper than most people.

It would also come as a great shock to discover that not only did Veronica, and Betty, and Jughead have issues weighing on their young and inexperienced shoulders, but Archie Andrews as well. Similarly to Betty, Archie, too, had had much time to think about romance during his summer break.

But that is about where their similarities end. 

Ms. Grundy was Hogwarts newest teacher, having only been teaching since half-way through the year before, in Archie’s 5th year. She was in charge of the music classes provided by Hogwarts, most notably (or infamously, depending on who you asked) the frog choir. The frog choir was compiled of a random mix of students from all houses, including but not limited to Kevin Keller, Dilton Doily, and, surprisingly, a now deceased Jason Blossom.

Upon walking home during the summer break, sweating profusely and thinking about the songs he’d been writing in his head all day, he’d discover that not only did Ms. Grundy live in the same small community that he did, but that she also was very interested in giving Archie a ride home. Which she did. A few hours after she’d originally asked.   
So now Archie was very nervous to go to school for the first time in a very long time.

He wished, briefly, that he and Jughead were speaking to each other. But he also knows that, even if they were, he could never tell anyone that he and Grundy were (are?)... involved. 

Jughead, to his credit, had no idea that Archie had cancelled the road trip in order to spend time with Grundy. And it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly how Jughead would have reacted to the fact, had he known at the time. But, if anyone were to look at the black and yellow tie around his neck, they might have had small glimmer of an idea. 

As Jughead pulled his knit cap back over his mussed hair and straightened his sweater, he looked down at the notebook sitting open on the seat in front of him. It contained every detail he knew so far about the murder of Jason Blossom, a nice little nest egg. The magnum opus of his young life.

Yet, unbenounced to Jughead, or any of the students at Hogwarts for that matter, the nest egg would soon grow into a full fledged (fledgling) novella. The students shuffled into the Great Hall, our heros moving to their respective houses. Veronica strutted over to the Slytherin table with as much confidence as someone can have after just being sorted with all the first years, shooting Archie a gentle sort of lip quirk toward the Gryffindor table. He repaid it in full, then sent a smile of his own towards Betty at the Ravenclaw table, who smiled back in a sad, scathed sort of way. Jughead watched all this from his place at the end of the Hufflepuff table, glowering, shoveling mashed potato into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten properly in a while (he hadn’t).

And, when Headmaster Weatherbee stood to address his students, nobody was surprised when he chose to first acknowledge the one student who could never come back.

He stated simply that Jason Blossom had died in an accident, and that he would be greatly missed by all. It was all very normal on the surface. But if one chose to look a little closer, they might have noticed how Cheryl Blossom white knuckled her cutlery at the mention of her brother’s name, and the whispers of hers that came along with it. Because she had been with him when the boat tipped over.

They might have also noticed how frantic whispers began circling around the Hufflepuff table, addressing the fact that Polly Cooper was missing from the train and now the table as well. Betty ignored this fact, but Jughead could not. Because he was nothing if not observant, especially with the members of his house. 

There was also the subtle look that Archie shared with Geraldine Grundy, one full of hope and unspoken (and probably foreseeably unmet) promises, the other full of scorn and secrecy.

There was also the look shared by Kevin Keller and Moose Mason, a silent pact that they would meet each other by the Black Lake later that night for a secret moment of passion. This moment, however, would be interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a student that nobody thought they would ever see again. They would find the body of Jason Blossom, washed up on the lake shore, body bloated and eyes coated white.

And anyone who thought they could stay firmly in the groove they’d worn down in their lives, was greatly mistaken in an instant.


	2. In Which Two Things Break

Cheryl Blossom was, to be frank, a force to be reckoned with. The first day back to Hogwarts she stomped across the grounds to the edge of the Black Lake, her cascade of red hair making the green of her tie demand to be seen. Her usually full lips were pressed into a firm line as she marched up to the small gaggle of professors and aurors standing at the edge of the lake. Jason’s body had, thankfully, been taken away the night before, so the risk of Cheryl throwing herself onto his corpse was now significantly more unlikely. 

Two students were able to witness the absolute storm that was Cheryl that morning; Kevin Keller, who’d found the body, and Jughead Jones, who was hiding just inside the thatch of trees near the lake. 

Kevin was convinced he was in shock. But then again, nobody sneaks out with someone they’re interested in having sex with expecting to find a dead body. He would later tell a concerned Betty that he felt fine, and that everything was really, really fine. She would promptly not believe him, but not push him anymore than necessary. They would then spend another hour conspiring another plan as to how Betty would ask out Archie.

Jughead, who often didn’t fall asleep until the small hours of the morning, made the journey out to the astronomy tower the night before. 

It was a simple fact that Jughead was actually quite good when it came to astronomy. Nobody but Archie knew this, because Jughead was quite averse to anyone thinking he genuinely liked anything (he liked quite a lot of things actually, such as old muggle movies and dogs). But he forgot about the stars he grudgingly adored once he actually reached the tower, because down below there was a commotion at the edge of the lake. He couldn’t get a proper look at what the hell was going on, however, because at that moment Betty Cooper (covered in more cat hair because she’d spent quite a while holding her cat and ignoring her feelings (Jughead wasn’t allergic to cats, so this was fine) walked by on her nightly patrol, catching him in the act of being a curious piece of shit. 

She did not, however, react as she normally would have. 

Betty was very tired, and very worried herself about the commotion by the lake as well. She honestly just wanted to go lie down in bed and attempt to sleep. But no, because Jughead was out of bed and she wasn’t supposed to stand for that.

“Jughead? What are you doing?”

“I like astronomy, and I don’t sleep very well. Also, there’s that situation.” He points down to the small gathering of people down by lake. 

There was a choice Betty could have made in that moment; she could do the thing she was supposed to, and take away points and add on detections and all that nonsense, or she could could extend a sort of olive branch to her old, estranged friend. 

She would ultimately choose the latter.

“I won’t take away points or anything, but you need to go back to your house before you get caught by someone else.”

And in that moment, a small sort of alliance was made.

So Jughead sat, watching, nearly an entire hour early for breakfast in the Great Hall, in the grove of trees by the entrance to the school, scribbling furiously in his notebook.

At breakfast later that morning, the knowledge that Jason Blossom’s body had been found was a hot topic among all the houses, but none more so than Slytherin. By that time, Cheryl had migrated to the table for breakfast, and she was very, very sullen. Veronica noticed this, and keeping in mind the fact that she didn’t know this girl and how she would take out her grief, slid down the table and spoke very quietly.

“Hey, are you doing okay?”

“My brother’s body was just found on the campus of my school. I’m doing just fine.”

Veronica wasn’t sure how to react to that, so she just kept her mouth shut and ate her cereal. 

Archie was otherwise occupied. He and Ms. Grundy had met in an abandoned classroom to discuss the nature of their relationship, and a mysterious blast they heard from the woods during a late night rendezvous after dinner.

“It’s just too risky, Archie. If we’re caught, I could lose my job. I could go to jail.”

“I know that Geraldine. But we need to tell someone about that noise we heard.”

“No, we can’t. If they found out we were together, were done for.”  
She placed her hands in his and drew him close, close enough to whisper.  
“If we want this to work, we’ll have to be careful. Very careful. I’m putting myself in your hands, Archie.”

Unfortunately for Archie, no amount of trust in him would change the fact that the relationship was not only illegal, but slowly becoming more and more toxic as time went on. But as anyone who knew what it was like to be a teenagerin a relationship, Archie would be less-than-blissfully unaware of the fact. 

Betty Cooper, meanwhile, hadn’t gotten much sleep the night previous, lying awake and staring at the navy hangings around her familiar four poster bed. This was not very unusual, as she’d developed acute insomnia over the years from late night studying and patrolling since she was granted her place as prefect. She thought of Polly, who wouldn’t be present for her final year at Hogwarts. She thought of Jason, who wouldn’t be either. 

Polly and Jason, as everyone knew, had dated for much of their sixth year. And this greatly displeased Alice Cooper, Betty and Polly’s mother. Not only was Jason a Slytherin, his parents were also involved heavily in the ministry, with much speculated scandal surrounding their ventures. This was a problem because Alice was the editor of The Daily Prophet, and she had been waiting a long time for a story to call them out. 

She was ecstatic when she found out about Jason’s death.

She’ll be around soon enough, when she finds out about the body, Betty thought later the next day as she made her way towards the courtyard. Archie would be making his way over any minute now, like he promised at breakfast when she asked if they could talk. And sure enough, his red shock of hair soon came into view. 

Archie was not completely oblivious, and had a sad, sinking feeling in his chest at the conversation to come. It was further crushed by the bliss that he felt coming out of the classroom minutes earlier, Grundy on the forefront of his mind.

“Hey Archie.”

“Hey Betty. You said you wanted talk about something important?”

“Yes. I’m going to get right to the point before I get interrupted again. I need to know, right now, if you love me Archie. Or even like me? Because I really like you, and I have for a long time…” She trails off, looking just a tad hopeful. 

“Of course I love you, Betty. You are so, so perfect. But I’m not good enough for you. I can’t be all that you need me to be. I’m really, really sorry.”

Betty just nods, crossing her arms, light slowly bleeding out of her eyes, before she walks away.

Archie made to go after her, but he stopped himself. He knew that maybe, perhaps, in another time, another place, he might have said yes. Because Betty was perfect. But he wasn’t for her, and he still had Grundy stuck in his mind. So he walked away.

And Jughead, who observed all of this as he walked past, would later write a phrase summing up the situation for his book.

And so, it wasn’t just one heart that broke that day, but two.


	3. A Bond Is Forged

Veronica had simply been in the right place at the right time.

The morning of her first day at Hogwarts, she happened upon the girl from the train sitting in a corner of the library, silently crying. 

“Hey, are you okay,” she whispered. The girl nodded, and if Veronica remembered correctly, her name was Betty (or something).

“Yeah, just a little stressed out. A lot’s happened today.” And it was eventually coaxed out of her that her sister had dated Jason, the kid they found in the lake last night. Betty had also been rejected by Archie only a few minutes prior, after years and years of build up. 

And that’s how they ended up sitting in the Slytherin common room, chatting aimlessly, when non other than Cheryl Blossom walked in. 

“Hey Betty, I didn’t know you knew Veronica.”

“We-” Cheryl cut her off.

“We should totally hang out later, Veronica. Show you the ins and outs of the house and all that.” She turned to Betty with a venomous glare that could turn a weaker person to stone. “Trying out for the quidditch team again, Betty? Maybe this year you’ll actually make it for once.” She turns on her heel and flounced off, leaving both girls with a sickness in her gut (Cheryl often had that effect on people, causing many to wonder if she was secretly part veela (she was not, Betty knew. Her mother had done enough research about the Blossoms to tell her so.). 

“What was that about?” Veronica inquired, perplexed.

“Oh, I tried out for my quidditch team last year and didn’t make it. Polly found out, which means that Jason knew, and of course he told Cheryl. So she thinks it’s funny because she’s been the Slytherin seeker since her second year.”

“That’s really shitty. Have you thought about getting help before try outs?”

“Archie’s on the Gryffindor team, and he helped me a tiny bit this summer, but no not really. Why do you ask?”  
“I could help you out. I may not play quidditch, but I do have some experience on a broom.”

And so, a week later, Betty Cooper stood on the quidditch pitch yet again, holding a borrowed broom from the broom closet (the broom closet where you went to borrow brooms if you did not own your own broom. Like Betty. And most of the other students of Hogwarts.), staring at the rings before her and only quivering a little bit. Veronica, who had helped to the best of her extent the entire week, let out a continuous stream of shrieks and hollers from the stands (they were intended to be encouraging, but instead just caused everyone else present to look on in confusion and horror). Cheryl, as captain of the Slytherin team and an avid snoop when it came to competition of any kind, sat nearby, watching with a grimace on her face. 

The captain of the Ravenclaw quidditch team was odd in a few ways. Trevor McCoy was, as many would say out of earshot, the most athletic nerd anyone had ever met. But he simply had to be. Josie McCoy was his older sister, and she was the lead singer of the pride and joy of Gryffindor; Josie and the Pussycats. His mother was the Minister of Magic, for God’s sake. So, poor Trev was stuck being the the smart one AND the athletic one in his family. 

“Alright, let’s get going. Everyone up…” He points above his head, and everyone kicks off, Betty taking a second to adjust her hold on the broom.

Everything goes so fast. She passed and caught the ball as good as her reflexes would allow. She was vaguely aware of Trevor hovering a safe distance away and watching carefully. Just as she threw the quaffle through one of the hoops (the keeper on the goal smacked his head against the ring as he moved to catch the throw) the whistle blew, signalling the end of tryouts. 

“Alright everyone, I’ll have the results posted in the common room by tonight. Good luck, and good job to everyone.” 

Betty barely had time to turn around before Veronica (still screeching) barreled into, gripping her in a bear hug. 

“You did great! I’m sure you’ll make the team.”

“Who’s to say,” snarked a voice behind them. They turned to see Cheryl standing, arms crossed and hip cocked out. “I mean, sure, you did fine, but there’s no finesse. Where’s the sizzle?”

Betty’s blood boiled, but Veronica was livid. 

“How exactly does she not have ‘sizzle’, Cheryl? Why does that even matter?”

“Because, she’s just there. There’s no fight, no anger. It’s simple, just like her. Unless she’s just hiding it, like her crazy sister.”

In hindsight, the choice Veronica made could have had more thought put into it. She also could have done something completely different. 

“Trust me,” she whispered, and grabbed Betty, smashing their lips together. It wasn’t heavy or coordinated, and Betty awkwardly reciprocated. They separated after a few moments, but unfortunately, Cheryl was not impressed.

“Oh, please, Veronica. Fake lesbian kisses haven’t been scandalous since before Harry Potter went here. Nice try, though.” And, with a flick of her hair and a strut in her walk, she left the pair alone in the middle of the pitch.

Archie, meanwhile, had hardly heard anything from Betty the whole week. He felt horrible about letting her down, and he missed his best friend. He’d seen Veronica in class since then, and she mentioned that Betty was pretty upset, but didn’t want to say so. And so Archie, the same day as Ravenclaw tryouts, was in the library, lingering around Betty’s favorite reading places. But of course he didn’t find her, because she wasn’t there. Who he found instead was very, very different. 

Jughead was sitting at a secluded table, a hidden bag of chips sitting in his lap, writing like always. He’d just punctuated a sentence when Archie of all people taps him on the shoulder. 

“Hey, uh, can I sit?”

“If you like,” he responds, sounding as aloof as humanly possible. He watches the other boy flop into the seat across from him somewhat nervously ( as if you could nervously flop anywhere, which is difficult to do).  
“You haven’t seen Betty anywhere, have you?” Archie asks, voice just a little bit clenched. Jughead hadn’t, not since the night she caught him in the astronomy tower.

“I haven’t”

“I think she’s really upset at me. I want to fix it, but I also think she’s avoiding me.”

“Well, whatever it is, I think she’ll forgive you if you just talk to her. Talking goes a long way with her.” He pauses. “I could have gone a long way with me too…” 

Archie nods solemnly, then stands, determined to save at least one friendship. 

But Betty had other things on her mind. She was practically vibrating with anxiousness, sitting in her favorite armchair, when at last Trevor made his way to the bulletin board. Every last one of the hopefuls made their way over, reading for a moment, the exploding with emotion of every kind. Betty pushed her way through the crush of students, scanning for her name.

And there it was.

Elizabeth Cooper, Chaser. 

Her whoop of joy was drowned out by the excitement of her new teammates as they all hugged each other. 

But just then, as though a window had flown open to allow in a cold draft, a new body entered the fray. Alice Cooper stood in the middle of the common room, mouth pressed into a tight line. Betty’s happiness hid away, terrified. 

“Elizabeth Cooper, just what do you think you’re doing?”


	4. A Prophecy Is Fulfilled

Jughead remembers vividly the day he was sorted. He’d gone onto the train, his best friend Archie at his side, and Archie’s neighbor Betty on his. 

“I wonder what house we’ll all be in. I don’t know anyone here except you guys,” Archie confessed, fiddling with the edge of his hoodie. Betty was practically quivering with excitement. 

“My mom says I’m gonna be in Ravenclaw, just like her.” She pauses, deep in thought. “I bet Juggy's gonna be in Ravenclaw too. You’re really smart.”

He pulled his hat down over his red-tipped ears.

“I’m not that smart. I bet I won’t even get sorted. Maybe they made a mistake.” Archie frowns. 

“That’s not true. You’re more of a wizard than I am.”

“You don’t know that,” Jughead mumbled, sinking lower into his seat. He mostly just didn’t want to be in Slytherin like his dad. 

But before he knew it, he was standing in line, waiting for judgement. 

Archibald Andrews. Gryffindor.

Elizabeth Cooper. Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat hardly has any time to touch her head before it cries out. 

He watches her go to her table, and he hopes he gets to be in her house. He doesn’t want to be alone.

“Forsythe Pendleton Jones III,” the headmaster calls out from the list. Jughead walks forward, slipping off his cap and ruffling his hair before plopping down on the stool that’s just a little too tall. He feels the fabric drop onto his head, and it nearly slips over his eyes, it’s so big. 

Hmm, you’re an interesting one, a voice says, supposedly coming from the hat.

“I want to be in Ravenclaw with Betty. Or even Gryffindor with Archie,” he whispers back, quiet enough so he barely hears himself.

Yes, I think you would do well with the bright crowd. You are very observant and intuitive, Forsythe. But I see something, something small but important. 

Please, not Slytherin. Anything but that, Jughead thinks, pleadingly. 

There will be many times in your life where people will ask for your forgiveness. And you’ll have to forgive them, and I can see that you will, every time. Yes, I know just where you belong.

“HUFFLEPUFF!” the hat calls, loud enough that Jughead has to cover his ears. He numbly stumbles forward and sits on the long bench at the yellow table, feeling the jostling of his housemates as they welcome him. He doesn’t pay them any mind, just stares forward.

But then Betty turns around and catches his eye, giving him the most beaming smile he’s ever seen. He gives her a grin back, and he knew that everything would be okay.

But now, nearly six years later, Jughead didn’t feel that way anymore, and Betty doesn’t smile like she used to.

She certainly wasn’t smiling when she turned around to face her mother, who was giving her the look of someone looking at a slug, perhaps, or a homeless person with missing teeth. 

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

“Come on a walk with me. We have a lot to talk about.” Betty nodded, straightened her sweater, and followed her mother out of Ravenclaw Tower. 

“Why are you here?” Betty pressed again, growing more and more anxious by the minute. Alice gave her a scathing look.  
“Jason Blossom’s body was found on the campus of the most famous wizarding school this side of the world. You thought I wouldn’t be the one to write about it myself? After all he did to Polly?” She was quiet for a moment, before turning to her daughter. “Why were you so excited in there? You were all acting like a wild pack of hooligans, the lot of you.”

“The results from quidditch tryouts had just come out…” She pauses, nervous. “... I made the team, mom. I’m gonna be a chaser.”

“What?!” Alice stops in her tracks, spinning on her heels to look her daughter in the eye. “I thought I told you no extra-curriculars. You have to focus on studying for N.E.W.T.s next year, otherwise you won’t get a good job.”

“I don’t even know what I want to do, Mom! I worked really hard to make the team.”

“You will quit this instant.”

“No! You can’t make me. I do everything for everyone, but I’m done. I need to have just this one thing for myself, for once. I don’t know why you seem to think I’m going to end up just like Polly, but I won’t. I’m my own person.” She stares at her mother’s shocked face for only a moment before she turns on the pad of her foot and walks the other way, away from her mom.

“Elizabeth, you will turn around right this second.”

She didn’t, and she wouldn’t.

Luckily, nobody was around to see the blow up, but everyone knew Alice Cooper was prowling around, looking for answers. So, that’s how the next morning at breakfast, Betty was surprised when Archie, Veronica, and Kevin all plopped down around her at the Ravenclaw table, looks of concern on their face. 

“Hey Betty, we saw your mom around. She’s looking more ravenous than usual,” Archie said, worry scribbled over his handsome features.

“It’s fine. We had an argument over quidditch, but it’s okay.”

“She didn’t make you quit did she?” Veronica looked like she was about to try and carve out someone’s guts with just her nails.

“No, no. I said it’s really fine.”

Nobody bothered her about it until they all had to leave for class.

Archie took this as his time to apologize.  
“Hey, Betty, can I walk you to class.”

“Sure, I guess.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Look, I’m really sorry.I know you must be feeling horrible, but I want you to know I don’t think of you any differently. You’re still my best friend.”

“You’re still mine too, Archie. Thanks for apologizing. It’s fine though. I’ve just been really busy with tryouts and classes and all that.” They walked in near silence after that, but it was a semi comfortable one. That day, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had joint Charms class, and Jughead watched carefully as her and Archie parted ways, together again but never quite the same. 

But not all things change.

During class, he catches Betty’s eye, and she gives him a small smile. A shadow of the one from years ago, but still there. He responds in kind.

Everything seems normal on the surface. 

But, just like the Black Lake, surfaces can be broken by dead bodies.

Jason’s diagnostic comes up in the Daily Prophet later that week, in an article written by none other than Alice Cooper. Signs of both Imperious and Cruciatus curses, before finally having a killing curse hit him in the head. But the most interesting thing was that he hadn’t been killed on July fourth like Cheryl had claimed. 

He, instead, had died only a week ago. The day everybody arrived at Hogwarts.

Everyone reacts to tragic news differently. Cheryl didn’t go to class for a full day once she found out. Kevin traveled to class with Betty and Archie to avoid people bombarding him with questions (his dad was head Auror, so people just assumed he knew everything about the case. He didn’t). Betty was simply suspicious; of both how her mother obtained such information, and who actually killed Jason. Jughead was having a hayday, blessed with new information for his novel. Veronica suggested she take everyone back to France. 

But it was Archie and Grundy’s reactions that were, perhaps, the most perplexing. This because they were, for the most part, one in the same. 

They met in the owlery that night, both with very different ideas about what to do.   
“We heard that blast coming from the woods, Geraldine. We have to tell someone.”

“No, Archie. We can’t. I could lose my job. I could be sent to Azkaban.”

Archie felt very conflicted. He was usually a boy who tried to do the right thing, always. But now he was in a relationship, and a relationship was where you did what the other wanted. Because you were in love.

“Please Archie, I’m trusting you,” Grundy pleaded, eyes shining. And he believed her, and held her close. 

Any idiot, however, could see just how easy Archie was being manipulated. Luckily Jughead, who was pressed against the outside of the owlery, was no idiot. He shoved his letter, addressed to his sister Jellybean, into his pocket. She could wait another half hour or so. 

He waited, hidden carefully in the shadows, until Grundy had fled back to the castle. Archie flew down the stairs soon after, and Jughead gripped his wand.

“I saw you.”

Archie freezes, and grabs his wand from his pocket. He turns sharply, looking into the face of an old friend. 

“Jughead, what are you doing?”

“I was going to send a letter. What’s going on with Grundy?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“It is when there’s evidence involved. In case you forgot, a kid is dead. Someone we knew.” Archie pauses, and lowers his wand. 

“I like her. And she likes me, Jug. If I told them we were together when we heard the blast, she could go to jail. Azkaban!”

“I’d rather have both her and the killer in there than nither of them.” Archie clenches his teeth, raising his wand again.

“You take that back, Jughead.”

“She’s manipulating you, Archie! Come on, let me guess; she’s the one who doesn’t want you to tell. She decides everything. That doesn’t sound right to me.”

“Shut up, you don’t know anything about her.” Archie slowly starts to back down the steps, but Jughead’s only getting started. 

“This summer, we were supposed to go on a road trip, just the two of us. But you cancelled at the last minute. It’s because you were with Grundy, isn’t it?”

“Fine, okay, I was. Happy now?”

“Of course not! I can’t believe you cancelled plans that had been in place for months to go chase cougar ass.”

“Don’t call her that! You wouldn’t understand. You’ve never been interested in anyone, Jughead. Not since we were kids. The only girl I’ve seen you willing hang out with was Betty.”

“This isn’t about me. This is about how I used to know this guy, Archie Andrews. He wasn’t perfect, but he always tried to do the right thing. I guess he’s gone now.”

“Stupify!” Archie called out, blast shooting from the end of his wand. Jughead dodges the shot, and tackles Archie around the middle, sending both of them flying down the few steps left to the ground. 

They roll around, trying to get the upper hand. Archie lands a gut punch, Jughead kicks out with his legs (he wasn’t as strong as Archie, not by a long shot), both of their wands laying a few feet away, forgotten. 

“What in Merlin’s beard do you think you’re doing?!” 

Dilton Doiley, fifth year Ravenclaw prefect, stood above the pair, trying to break the boys apart.

“The headmaster’s gonna have a hayday with you two,” he murmured, looking at the pair before him. Jughead had a split lip and was clutching his middle, Archie straightening out his hair, not putting weight on his right knee. 

They both are regaled to polishing all the silver in the school's trophy cases for a whole week as punishment.

Archie doesn’t stop thinking about what Jughead said. He goes to Grundy’s class during a free period; she’s sitting in there, playing her cello mournfully, all by herself.

“I need to talk to you.”

“What can I do for you, Archie?” she asks, voice just a little hostile.

“I need to tell someone about the blast. Withholding information is wrong. I won’t mention you, I’ll leave you out of it. But they need to know.” Before Geraldine can say anything to stop him, he walks away from her and out the door.

“I’m going to tell them about the spell I heard. Tomorrow morning, right before classes,” he confesses to Jughead that night, rubbing harshly at a smudge on one of the old quidditch trophies.

“That’s good.”

Pause

“Jug, I’m sorry about cancelling our plans. It was a shit thing for me to do. I really hope you can forgive me.”

Jughead had a choice right then. But just as the sorting hat knew what he’d say, he also knew what he would do.

“It’s not really okay just like that. But we’ll talk about it, over many pieces of silver, over many days.”

And they share a smile.

And Jughead, as it was prophesied, forgave, and not for the last time.


	5. A Pair Makes An Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Room of Requirement cameo? Sure, why not?
> 
> Also, thanks to sarahspoonhands for being my beta. You are the love of my life.

In light of the kindling of friendships (new and old) a rotation begins to take place.

With Veronica, Archie, Betty, and Jughead all friends now (but each one in an entirely different house than the next), they had to decide what table they would all gather to during breakfast and lunch. The Gryffindor table was often occupied by Archie's quidditch friends and teammates. This was fine, but they were very loud, and gave everyone a harder time than was strictly necessary. The Ravenclaw table was quiet, but you would be shooshed in a hurry if you got a little loud (someone was always reading or studying). They didn’t even attempt to sit at the Slytherin table, as Cheryl would make her presence known by either shouting abuse or glaring.

So, they usually sat at the Hufflepuff table. This allowed Kevin to join them most days, and everyone remembered Polly, so they remembered Betty (and any friend of Betty was a friend of theirs). 

They were all sitting at the Hufflepuff table when Veronica shared some news with all of them.

“I have a date.”

“Oh? With who?” inquired Betty, who was practicing a charm they learned in class the day before. 

“Chuck Clayton.”

Chuck Clayton (son of the school’s flying teacher and quidditch coach), who was Keeper for the Gryffindor team. A known player, it was often considered unwise to date him at any point.

“I dunno, Ronnie. He’s kind of a known player,” said Archie, fiddling with his napkin. 

“It’s fine, just one date. This weekend we’re going to Hogsmeade.” 

Of course they were; everyone went to Hogsmeade on the weekends. Even if you didn’t have a date, students would flock to the shops and pubs as though drawn by magnets. Even just going to grab something to eat or drink from The Three Broomsticks was a staple in the diets of every student old enough to partake. 

Keeping this in mind, they all oohed and ahhed at Veronica’s story of how Chuck came up to her after class and asked her until it was time for them to walk to class. And while Betty was happy about Veronica’s weekend plans, she had fish of her own to fry. As they walked to their respective classrooms, she tugged on Jughead’s sleeve, asking him to fall in step with her. 

“I talked to Headmaster Weatherbee the other day, and he’s given me permission to start up a school newspaper. My mother can gossip all she wants for the Daily Prophet, but we have access to the students.”

“Okay, what’s your point?” Jughead asked, trying to sound sardonic and aloof when he really wasn’t (he actually enjoyed Betty’s company. She was intelligent and genuinely cared about how others felt. It was refreshing).

“The point is, I was wondering if you’d like to help me write the paper. I know you’re writing a novel about Jason Blossom’s murder.”

“Yup, Hogwarts’ very own In Cold Blood.”

“Your story could give us something to go off of. It would give the paper some good substance.” She pauses. “Also, I don’t know who else to ask. Archie and Veronica are great, but this isn’t really their thing.” Her blue eyes pleaded, fingers fiddling with her sleeve edges. Jughead stops walking in order to look at her. 

“Will I get complete freedom?”

“I mean, I’ll help. Use a few editing spells and such. But it’s your story.” Jughead considers this for a moment (although he’s already made up his mind). 

“Doesn’t sound like complete freedom, but I’ll do it.”

“Thank you so much, Jughead. This means a lot.” She keeps mostly calm, but anyone who knew Betty could tell that she was oozing excitement.

And so, later that night, Betty and Jughead stood in an empty hallway, staring at a blank wall. 

“Remind me what exactly we’re doing here?”

“Shh, give me a second.” Betty closed her eyes, looking deep, deep in thought. Only a moment later, a large, ornate looking door rose out of the wall, forming slowly until it settled. Betty moves to open the door, but Jughead stops her. 

“That isn’t-”

“The Room of Requirement? Yes, it is.”

“Wasn’t it destroyed during the Battle of Hogwarts?” Betty rolls her eyes and drags Jughead inside.

“Yes, technically. But it’s old magic; it doesn’t go away easily. It’s been sort of… growing back?”

Jughead nodded, only half listening as he surveyed the room around him. There was a long, wooden table adorned with what appeared to be typewriters in the middle of the room. A few blackboards and a bulletin board were on one wall, a couch and a puffy armchair on the other. Betty walked to the other end of the room and gestured around a bit. 

“How did you find this place?” Jughead asked, loosening his striped tie just a bit. Betty flushed a little, fiddling with her fingers like she often did. 

“I, um, I was trying to avoid my mom. I saw her coming down the hallway and all of a sudden this door that I’d never seen before just shows up. I looked it up in the library and all books said it was destroyed. But apparently not.”  
“Are these… typewriters?”

“Uh, yeah. I think they’re enchanted? Anyway, I have an assignment for you for this weekend. I weaseled it out of a few people that someone was near the forest the night they found Jason.”

Jughead freezes. She couldn’t possibly be talking about Archie, could she?

“W-who was it?”

“A Ravenclaw named Dilton Doiley. He’ll probably be in Hogsmeade this weekend. He already knows me, so it’s probably best you speak to him.” Jughead nods, trying to put a face to a name. He remembers him as the prefect that found him and Archie fighting.

“Right. Question.”

“Mmhmm?”

“Does this newspaper have a name yet?” Betty hesitates for a moment, fiddling with her ponytail. 

“I was maybe considering calling it ‘The Blue and Gold.’ Y’know, considering out house colors and all.” She gestures between them, pointing at their ties. Jughead chuckles briefly. 

“Alright, if you say so, Bets.” And, with that, Betty escorted Jughead back to the Hufflepuff common room (being a prefect can have it’s perks), and bid him goodnight.

That night, Jughead lie awake for a very long time. And even he couldn’t have given a definite reason why.


	6. The Levee Breaks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the overwhelming support! All of your comments and kudos really mean a lot to me and give me motivation to continue writing. So, please, keep them coming!
> 
> There might be some time between this update and the next. The play I'm in is opening next week so I will be super duper busy with that. I will try and update as soon as I can. 
> 
> And, as always, thank you to my beta, sarahspoonhands. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey.

The weekend approached faster than it had any right to. And with it, came preparations from all parties for the upcoming day out. 

In the Slytherin dorm, Veronica paced around, flicking off and slipping on assorted shirts and bottoms. Cheryl sat in the nearly empty common room, and carefully studied the sounds of struggle coming from the room. She eventually stood up and moved to open the door, taking in the sight of Veronica’s struggle. 

“What’s got you in such a freak out? You sound like a bull in a china shop.”

“I have a date tomorrow, and I need to figure out what to wear.” Cheryl moves into the room and sits down on Veronica’s bed. Her fingers trail across the fabrics of all the garments.  
“You nervous or something?”

“I normally wouldn’t be, but a bit, yeah. Being at a new school and all that.” Cheryl nods, then begins rummaging through the clothes in front of her, picking out a navy blue crop top and a skirt with a small plaid pattern.

“Here, try this.” And she looked beautiful in it, of course. Veronica stared at herself, holding still while Cheryl helped clasp her pearl necklace around her neck.

“There you go. I think that’ll do.” 

Then Cheryl just leaves, leaving Veronica staring after her in mild confusion. She’s hardly been truly nice to anybody since they met, and now there she was, helping Veronica get dressed for a date. 

It was very confusing indeed, and Veronica was feeling it. 

The date, however, went very simple. Chuck met Veronica near the school’s entrance, and they walked arm in arm together down the path to the little town. Conversation was easy enough, a main topic being quidditch. They in The Three Broomsticks for a while, nursing butterbears. Veronica spotted Jughead walking in at some point, and they waved to each other, before continuing on their way. 

It was only later that afternoon that they became truly alone. They sat on a cluster of rocks, close to the Shrieking Shack and far enough from the town that it was unlikely that anyone would bother them. They chatted for awhile about Veronica’s move and about trying to make a life in a new place; but, of course, the inevitable must happen.

Chuck leans in to kiss her, and she lets him. It’s decent as far as kisses go. Not the best Veronica’s ever had. But she lets it happen. And that’s it. They part ways. 

Veronica finds Betty at The Three Broomsticks and tells her how the date went. Simple; nothing more, nothing less.

Things for Archie, however, were not simple.

That morning, thoughts of what he had heard that night and the excuses he’d come up with running through his mind, he met Headmaster Weatherbee in his office. 

“Hello, Archie. What can I help you with?”

“I have information about the night that they found Jason.” Weatherbee’s mouth pressed into a tight line, before finally speaking again.

“Allow me just a moment to go get Keller.” He then went over to his fireplace, grabbed a handful of powder from a box on the mantelpiece, and flew up into a burst of green flame. He came back only a few moments later, Auror Keller in tow. 

“Archie here says he has some information regarding the Blossom investigation.” Keller nods, and gestures for Archie to sit. 

“What do you have for us, son?”  
“I was in the Owlery the night they found Jason. I heard a blast come from the woods, and I’d assume it came from a spell.”

“What were you doing in the Owlery that night? After curfew as well, I assume?” Headmaster Weatherbee asks, crossing his arms and giving Archie a stern look. He swallows painfully. 

“I was sending a letter to my dad, saying we got to school safe. He asked me to before we left. Y’know, after Jason.”

“Were you alone?”

Archie hesitates. 

“No, I wasn’t.” He pauses, swallowing. “I had my owl Vegas with me.”

Weatherbee and Keller both nod along. 

“Thank you, Archie. This will be very helpful,” Keller says, shaking Archie’s hand. 

Now came the second half of his day. Archie made the way to Hogsmeade by himself, mumbling what he was going to say to Josie when he got to the back room of The Three Broomsticks. But, before he knew it, he was standing in front of them, mouth dry.

Josie and the Pussycats had formed when the band members were in third year, together in detention after all being caught for different things. They had since become the pride and joy of the Gryffindor house, adorned in cat ears and hair so big they could only be described as lionesses. And Archie, who had been working on writing songs all summer, wanted their help, and to possibly help them as well. They were in the same house after all. 

“Can I help you?” asked Josie, her tone just the slightest bit snarky. 

“Um, yes? The thing is, I’ve been writing these songs all summer. I know you guys are more… established than I am? Would you be willing to help me out, maybe let me write a few songs with you guys?”

Josie, for the record, did not yell. She would have in any other situation, but she was trying very hard to work on her image. For the band. For the band. 

“I’m really sorry Archie, but we already have a song writer. If we stray from being an all-women ran band, it would change our image. It gives off the air that even we need men to run properly, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

She smiles (somewhat) sweetly, but Archie’s insides burn up anyway. 

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

One of the band members (he thinks her name is Valerie) leans over and whispers in Josie’s ear. She whispers back angrily, and a heated exchange ensues. Finally it stops, and they all turn to look at Archie. 

“Fine, we’d be willing to let you observe. Only observe. Try and absorb as much as you can.”

Archie breaks into a wide grin.

“Thank you guys so much. This really means a lot.”

Jughead, on the other hand, had been following Dilton Doiley around like some sort of shadowy puppy. He snuck around corners and looked out his peripherals. And absolutely nothing seemed odd or out of the ordinary. Dilton ate all meals at the same time, went to all his classes, went to the library at the same time, etc…

And so, when Jughead followed him to The Three Broomsticks, it was like muscle memory. He pressed his hat low over his head, his black and yellow scarf wound around his neck in an attempt to hide his face. He’d have to catch Dilton off guard if he wanted anything out of him. And that’s exactly what he did. 

He walks into the pub, easily spotting Veronica. She waves, and he returns in kind. He also spots Dilton sitting in a booth by himself, a butterbeer being placed in front of him. Jughead makes his move.

He crouches in the seat across from his victim and swipes a finger through the foam at the top of the drink. He sucks the liquid off, giving Dilton his best intimidating look.

“Dilton Doiley, I have a few questions for you.” Dilton just makes a confused (scared?) noise. Jughead just points to the butterbeer. “You going to drink that?”

Dilton shakes his head, and Jughead slides the glass over, taking a large sip.   
“So, a little birdy told me you were in the forest the night they found Jason’s body. People also have accounts of hearing a blast coming from the forest. Do you know anything about that?”

Dilton nodded, and Jughead had an inward sigh of relief that his intimidation skills were working. 

“What exactly were you doing that night?”

“One of my first year’s cats ran out. I went to go find it in the forest.” Jughead squints, analyzing his shifty eyes and fidgety hands. 

“I think you’re lying to me, Doiley.”

“What do you even need this information for?”

“I’m investigating Jason’s murder. And you have information that I need. So spill.”

But then something happens that Jughead does not expect. Dilton leans forward, face hardened and obviously ticked off. 

“I have nothing relevant to say about that night; you might as well just give up trying to get anything out of me.” 

Ohohoho, I am not going to do that, Jughead thought, standing up and walking away with a final scowl. 

Betty, who was sitting with Veronica (post-date) and Archie (post-Josie), spotted Jughead walking away from Dilton.

“Jughead!” she yelled, waving him over. Luckily, he noticed, and began walking in their direction.

And so, the group of friends recounted the events of that day, laughing when appropriate and expressing happiness for both Archie and Veronica. 

But that happiness would be short lived. 

The next day was the first quidditch game of the year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. And little did our heroes know, many things would come to light, many trying times springing from them.


	7. Updates + Aesthestic

Hi everybody! I'm so sorry i haven't updated in so long, but my life has been super crazy. I do have the next chapter in the works, you'll just have to hold on a little longer. In the meantime, however, I have a few aesthetic collages for the main four. So, here they are:

I hope you guys like these! If you want me to make more for some of the minor characters, feel free to send me a comment. Or, if you prefer, you can find me on tumblr at [cacti-cool.tumblr.com](cacti-cool.tumblr.com) (ignore my outdated theme) or you can also find me at my writing blog [cacticool.wordpress.com](cacticool.wordpress.com) (that's where all my original stuff lives).

 

Anyway, the next chapter will be here soon!

 

Edit: if the pictures don't show up, here's where I posted them on tumblr [here.](http://cacti-cool.tumblr.com/post/159660394305/riverdale-hogwarts-aesthetics)


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